BYU coach Dave Rose has already faced toughest foe

NCAA TOURNAMENT 2 years ago, he didn't think he had much time left to live

Joseph Duarte, Hearst Newspapers

Published
4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, March 23, 2011

BYU coach Dave Rose walks off the court after defeating Gonzaga 89-67 in a Southeast regional third round NCAA tournament college basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Denver.

BYU coach Dave Rose walks off the court after defeating Gonzaga 89-67 in a Southeast regional third round NCAA tournament college basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Denver.

Photo: Jack Dempsey, AP

Photo: Jack Dempsey, AP

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

BYU coach Dave Rose walks off the court after defeating Gonzaga 89-67 in a Southeast regional third round NCAA tournament college basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Denver.

BYU coach Dave Rose walks off the court after defeating Gonzaga 89-67 in a Southeast regional third round NCAA tournament college basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2011, in Denver.

Photo: Jack Dempsey, AP

BYU coach Dave Rose has already faced toughest foe

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

(03-23) 04:00 PDT DENVER --

Dave Rose took a long pause, then another, each time fighting back tears.

"It's been a long time for our ..." said the sixth-year BYU coach, unable to complete the thought.

Nearly a half-hour after the Cougars had beaten Gonzaga 89-67 Saturday to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in 30 years, Rose returned to the court at the Pepsi Center. He was greeted by the BYU band, which stayed to play for the large contingent of fans that had remained in the arena, refusing to quit celebrating the Cougars' tournament run.

"I'm happy, really happy for them," said Rose. "I'm happy for our players, happy for our coaches, our administration. I mean, everybody is in this. We're all in this together."

For Rose, returning BYU back to national basketball prominence has been only a small part of the journey. Less than two years ago, didn't think he had long to live.

Rose, 53, was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in June 2009. He underwent emergency surgery to remove a grapefruit-sized tumor on his spleen, the tail end of his pancreas and six lymph nodes.

For a few days, Rose thought he had adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, the same disease that claimed the life of actor Patrick Swayze. Then came some encouraging news: Rose had a pancreatic neuro-endocrine tumor, a treatable form of the deadly disease.

Doctors told Rose that out of 1 million people affected by pancreatic cancer, only five will have the treatable form. He's had two scans each of the last two years, and has been cancer-free each time. Beginning next year, he'll only need one scan every 12 months, with each clear scan making it less likely the tumor will return.

"I believe I'm a lucky guy," Rose said shortly after his surgery. "I've been hit with a challenge, but it's a challenge that is manageable and I can handle."

Last summer, Rose spoke at a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser hosted by Gonzaga coach Mark Few in Spokane, Wash. The two coaches, who faced off in the second round last weekend, developed a friendship over the years. Rose also spoke in front of Congress last year to advocate for more cancer research.

On the court, Rose, a Houston native, was a reserve for University of Houston's 1983 Phi Slama Jama team that lost on a buzzer-beater to North Carolina State in the national championship game. He also attended Dixie State in St. George, Utah, and later coached there before joining the BYU staff in 1997. He became the Cougars' head coach in 2005 and has led them to school-record win totals the past two years, including this season's 32-4 mark.

BYU is two wins away from the Final Four, and they begin that quest today against Florida (4:25 p.m., TBS). Rose tries not to look ahead to the possibility of playing for a national title in his hometown.

"The Final Four is in Houston and that's the goal of every team," Rose said. "It would be a unique opportunity to bring our team back there if that was to happen. But we have a tough couple of games to play."